run with love
▲Xinxin Restaurant is blessed by God, makes good use of resources, and shares blessings.
The first Chinese restaurant with a sign in the United States is said to be "Man Jen Low" opened in 1890, which sounds like "Man Jen Low" in Cantonese. Nowadays, Chinese food has attracted the appetite of many Americans with its unique taste, meticulous cooking, and rich dishes. There are so many Chinese restaurants that even our small town in western Michigan, which is known as "birds that don't lay eggs," has three More than a dozen.
And my favorite is Chin Chin Asian Restaurant. Not only do I appreciate it, in 2008, local newspapers held readers’ polls, and Xin Xin topped the list of “Most Popular Chinese Restaurants.” Xin Xin was also named as the host of many large-scale group dinners. Every year, the local catering industry from all over the world gathers for performances, and Xin Xin is the only restaurant that receives the honor. Chinese restaurant invited to participate.
▲Chef John who loves the Lord and his people.
Integrating faith into the profession
What makes Xinxin unique is that it combines the best of China and the West - the emphasis on quality in Western restaurants, the virtue of frugality in Chinese restaurants, coupled with the concept of operating with love, and the Christian faith of prayer, gratitude, and reliance.
In order to keep the ingredients fresh, they take the trouble to purchase the ingredients three times a week and prepare the ingredients needed for the day every morning to avoid waste due to excess raw materials. To ensure the quality of the food, they never choose to go to the futures with reduced prices and discounts, and always use With mid- to high-priced products, the prepared food has beautiful shapes, fresh colors, and good taste, and is widely loved by customers. The owner of the restaurant, Mama Cui, said with deep understanding: "Although our purchase cost is slightly higher, everything is genuine. In the process of cutting and marinating, there are very few parts of these ingredients that are not suitable for use. , On the contrary, it increases the utilization rate and saves costs.”
Mother Cui is a devout Christian who loves the Lord. She is a Korean overseas Chinese born in China. She was originally a Chinese teacher, but by some strange combination of circumstances, she made a name for herself in Calgary's catering industry. If you ask her the secret of her success, she will always smile lightly and say: "Prayer and love." Mother Cui's second son, John, was born in South Korea. He came to the United States when he was in elementary school and was deeply influenced by Chinese and Korean cuisine. The United States received training in Western cuisine and served as Xinxin's chef.
▲Xinxin’s chef often cooks delicious food for the brothers and sisters in the church to share.
There is a secret to zero waste
Sometimes the deliveryman would send some promotional samples or gifts. When the restaurant couldn't use them, Cui's mother would call and ask those of us serving in the church to distribute them to the members' families. One snowy day, Cui's mother sent another large box of mutton sausages, and her husband sent it to a student group who was skiing. After the activity, they had grilled sausages at home. When everyone heard this, they immediately stopped skiing and went straight to my house. As soon as they entered the door, they were attracted by the smell of meat and their mouths watered. A few young men rushed to the stove, grabbed sausages and stuffed them into their mouths, chewing them loudly without having time to take off their snowshoes. , while praising how delicious it is.
Several times when customers booked large group meals, Cui’s mother asked her son to specially cook the extra ingredients and deliver them to the church so that the brothers and sisters could enjoy high-end restaurant food. It is our favorite extra dish. Of course, Cui’s mother never forgets and specially orders some seafood for me. She is considerate and knows that I don’t like to eat meat. Occasionally, if there is fresh fish in the restaurant that is not sold out and cannot be used the next day, Cui’s mother will pickle it with salt and make it into salted fish for me. She knows that I love salted fish fried rice the most.
At noon on Valentine’s Day this year, my husband and I went to Xinxin for a meal. This is our regular “date meal” every year. John knew that we had to rush back to pick up the third child from school before twelve o'clock, so he served five exquisite dishes within fifteen minutes without ordering, including my favorite seafood, tofu and vegetables, as well as my husband's favorite beef and pork chops. . When the old man at the next table saw it, he was filled with envy. He leaned over to ask about the name of the dish, but we couldn't name it. He called the waitress to inquire and asked her to order based on our dishes. The lady smiled and said, "You have great taste. That is the boss's private dish!"
Share blessings with others
The business of Xinxin Restaurant is very prosperous. Although the United States has been hit by the financial crisis and the sales of many mid- to high-end restaurants have generally declined, Xinxin is always busy. Customers not only enjoy delicious and exquisite dishes, but also treat their guests as family. warm hospitality.
I asked Mother Cui: What if there are too many materials prepared and cannot be sold out? Is it thrown away like many American restaurants? Mother Cui responded this way: "God is full of blessings! According to our method, we can only sell enough, and rarely can't sell out. Even if Christians open a restaurant and have extra money, they will not waste it, because God will give us wisdom to distribute it. Make the best arrangements for those in need."
From her grateful smile, I seemed to be able to better understand the secret of Xinxin Restaurant’s blessing.
Author profile
Deng Xiaoyun is good at books and likes ink, but he praises the fragrance of Christ. There are endless chores to do and endless stories to write. She has three sons with her husband, Pastor Wang Keqiang, and currently serves at the Chinese Church in Calgary, Michigan.